Chapter 595: The Silence That Follows
Ethan didn’t dare follow that line of thought any further. He forced the words out quickly. "We should get out of here first."
He turned and strode toward the exit, moving almost as if he were fleeing. He’d barely taken two steps before rapid footsteps came up behind him and a hand caught his arm.
He spun around and saw Rainie Chen. Her face was pale with panic, her fingers clutching his sleeve as she ducked behind him for cover.
Looking past her, he noticed the same scene playing out with Williams and his wife—she had latched onto his arm, pressing herself close as if hiding from the world.
"Rainie, don’t be scared. My husband’s an elite operative... he’ll definitely get us out safely," Williams’s wife called out, her voice trembling but steady enough to carry comfort. She didn’t lift her head, and though she was terrified herself, she was still trying to soothe the younger woman.
Ethan thought she seemed like a decent person.
He met Williams’s gaze. The man gave him a helpless look, and Ethan only shook his head before leading Rainie toward the exit.
Being dragged along with her hanging on to him made Ethan feel awkward, his movements stiff and unnatural. The walk out was otherwise smooth, though every time the women stumbled across another corpse, their screams rang sharp through the air. Calming them down again and again left Ethan’s temples throbbing.
He couldn’t help thinking that if it had been Lyla in their place, she never would have reacted like this.
After one last round of shrieks, Ethan finally pushed open the hidden door. Sunlight spilled inside, bright and clean after the darkness, and the four of them stepped out of the factory.
He stopped just outside and turned to Williams. "Take them somewhere safe to lie low. I’ve still got things to do."
Out in the daylight, both women seemed to regain a measure of calm. Rainie flushed as she realized she was still holding Ethan’s arm and let go, embarrassed.
"Got it," Williams said quickly.
He already knew Ethan intended to leave in his mech, and the fewer people aware of that, the better. Gathering his wife, he motioned for Rainie to follow.
"Go with them for now," Ethan told her, lowering his voice. "I’ll find you when I’m done."
Rainie hesitated, then stepped closer, her gaze fixed on his face. "Thank you."
"Don’t mention it—mmph—"
He never finished. Her face darted up, filling his vision, and before he could dodge, her lips brushed his. Cold and sweet.
Ethan froze, eyes wide, every muscle rigid. His tongue moved before he realized it, brushing across his lips.
"Mmm..."
That small sound escaped Rainie, a soft, helpless moan. Her body went slack, and Ethan instinctively caught her, his arm slipping around her waist to hold her steady.
’Her waist is so slender...’
The thought flashed across his mind unbidden. But before he could process it, Rainie pulled away and bolted, fleeing like a startled deer.
Williams happened to be walking by with his wife then. He muttered under his breath, "Don’t worry, I won’t say a word."
"What do you mean, you won’t say anything? I couldn’t dodge!" Ethan snapped, glaring at him.
Even he could hear how flimsy that excuse sounded.
"Oh... Boss, what level’s your Energy now?" Williams asked casually.
"War God-rank, I guess," Ethan said without hesitation.
"Oh... ’War God-rank’... couldn’t dodge." Williams shook his head with mock sympathy, muttering as he walked off. His wife covered her mouth, clearly stifling laughter.
Ethan stood rooted, dumbfounded.
Right. He was War God-rank. He had been aware, he had tried to move, yet somehow he hadn’t avoided it.
Without realizing it, his tongue swept across his lips again. The faint fragrance still lingered there.
The taste...
Ethan let out a sigh, then quickly clapped both hands behind his back.
He stole a glance in Williams’s direction, hunched his shoulders, and turned away like a thief caught red-handed.
He had to disappear before the women noticed him. If Rainie kept glancing back the way she had been, she’d surely notice when he suddenly vanished.
Inside Shatterstar, the mech sealed shut around him. He reconnected the comm system, which had been cut off earlier when he closed the public channel. Each of his squadmates was on their own assignment—clean divisions of labor meant there hadn’t been a need for open chatter.
"How’s everyone doing?" Ethan asked.
Victor’s voice came first. "All normal!"
Blackie chimed in, cocky as ever. "Piece of cake!"
Micah added with a laugh, "These guys are pathetic!"
Dragon Child followed, her tone brisk. "Heading to the third location!"
One by one, they all reported in.
Ethan frowned. "Lyla, how are things on your end?"
Silence.
Seconds dragged on. His call seemed to vanish into the void.
Still nothing.
Ethan’s chest tightened. A bad feeling clawed at him.
Even Blackie and Micah, who had just been boasting, went dead quiet. The comm channel, usually buzzing with noise, was swallowed by silence.
"I’m closest. I’ll go check," Dragon Child offered suddenly.
"No," Ethan cut her off. His tone was firm, brooking no argument. "Finish your assignments. When you’re done, rendezvous at Ashwick. I’m sending my list."
His expression darkened as he transmitted the data.
"Shatterstar, set course: Crescent Isle."
He would handle this himself.
"Boss, be careful... call us if anything happens," Victor’s voice came through, unusually serious.
One after another, the others echoed the sentiment. No banter this time. They all understood what it meant if something had happened to Lyla.
"Mm," Ethan replied, just a single sound.
But the anger packed into that one syllable made every man listening straighten in his seat. They knew—if Lyla was harmed, Ethan wouldn’t hesitate to turn that tiny island state into a grave at the bottom of the sea.
"Shatterstar, locate the last GPS position of Lyla’s phone."
Coordinates locked in.
The mech’s thrusters roared, half of them activating at once. Shatterstar tore through the sky, surging beyond light speed in an instant. Its stealth capabilities flickered under the strain, but at that speed no radar could catch him anyway.
Moments later, Ethan dropped into orbit over a small island.
He pulled up the marker, staring at the glowing red dot on the screen. "Huh? Why there?"
The signal was coming from the Southern Archipelago. Not only was it far from any targets on Lyla’s mission list, it was beyond the US territorial borders.
Ethan’s frown deepened as he stared at the map.
Something wasn’t right.